My World
by MaryFriends
Summary: Ross and Rachel celebrate their second anniversary since she got off that plane.
1. Chapter 1

Hello people! I'm back with a little Ross & Rachel fic. It was initially a one-shot but it got too long so I divided it into chapters. It is based on a Jenvid fic I wrote several years ago and posted it on FriendsCafe, so if you ever read that one this one may sound familiar to you but I've changed many things to fit R&R relationship. I hope you enjoy it and **please, I would like to know your opinion, it only takes a few seconds**. Thanks in advance! :)

….

"**MY WORLD." **

Ross left his office with the biggest smile on his face; today would be a great day, a very special one. He inserted his keys on the door and entered his house, happy to be there after a long day at work. He heard voices coming from the main bathroom and headed toward it. He knocked quietly and opened the door to find his two girls having a bubble bath together.

"Daddyyyyyyy!" his almost 4-year-old daughter yelled thrilled the moment she saw her father. Ross smiled widely and got closer to the bathtub to greet them.

"Hi princess" he leaned to kiss her head and then turned to his girlfriend "hi honey" Rachel smiled while receiving a gentle kiss on the lips. "How have you been today?" he asked, taking seat on the edge of the tub.

"Good" she sweetly said bringing him down for another kiss.

"Mmmh I see" he said looking into her eyes and smiling.

"How was your day?"

"Okay…but long! I was eager to come home and be with my girls…Where is the baby, by the way?"

"With your mom, she came to pick her up like an hour ago." She pouted.

"You know she's in good hands."

"I know, but she is so little…" Ross let out a chuckle.

"Honey, She's gonna be one soon."

"Exactly, she is too young." Her little daughter coughed to catch their attention.

"Daddyyy!" she said loudly in an insinuating way as she raised her chin up and smiled widely, hoping he would notice what had happened. He looked at her sweetly and soon discovered something different on her.

"Oh! Hey…what happened to your little tooth?" he said crouching by her side to have a better view of her chipped mouth "it's not supposed to fall yet, is it?" he asked Rachel.

"Nu-uh, she tripped this morning while running and she hit her mouth against the floor…it was awful," she explained, remembering all the blood coming out of her daughter's mouth.

"I had my mouth all red daddy, and it hurt a lot!"

"Well it wouldn't have happened if someone had obeyed mommy when she told you not to run in your socks." Rachel said looking at her serious. Emma looked down ashamed. Ross saw this and felt compassion for her, she was just being a normal child.

"Did you cry, sweetie?"

"A bit…".

"She did, but as soon as I told her that "tooth fairy" would come and give her a present if she put her tooth under the pillow she stopped instantly." the little girl looked up at her parents all happy again.

"When is she coming, mommy?"

"Maybe tonight…you never know," Rachel winked her eye at her.

"Honey, Can you take her out and put her pj's on? I want to enjoy this bath a bit longer…"

"Sure! Come here sweetheart." he ordered his daughter as he held a towel open to wrap around her. He lifted her up in the air and placed her over the toilet. Relieved, Rachel extended her legs and rested her head on the curb of the bathtub as she closed her eyes, being finally able to relax.

"And how she knows my tooth fell?" Emma asked full of curiosity while her dad dried her body and hair.

"Who?"

"Tooth fairy!"

"Oh…because she is magical and knows everything."

"Like Santa?"

"Yeah, like Santa."

"And Can I wait for her up? I wanna meet her!" she exclaimed jumping on the toilet excited.

"Easy little tornado!" he grabbed her to stop her jumping and sat her on the toilet to put her pajamas on "and no you can't, she won't come unless you're sleeping like a baby."

"But I'm not a baby anymore!" she grumped.

"It's just a saying, honey. You just have to sleep; if you stay awake she'll never come."

"But…how you know she exist if nobody saw her?"

"Ugh!" Ross exclaimed in frustration "When is this "asking phase" gonna end?" he asked annoyed turning to Rachel, who simply chuckled and shrugged her shoulders not bothering to open her eyes. Emma was ready to open her mouth again but the ringing bell interrupted her. Ross smiled feeling 'saved by the bell'.

"That must be your auntie Monica that has come to pick you up."

"YAY!" Emma yelled excited, forgetting the whole tooth thing.

"Give mommy a goodbye kiss and let's go pick your things" He said, leaning towards Rachel with their little girl in his arms.

"Bye mommy" she said, sweetly kissing her mommy's lips.

"Bye honey, be good with auntie Monica!" she warned.

"No!" the little girl exclaimed between giggles as her father took her out the bathroom.

After a brief conversation with Monica and saying goodbye to his daughter, Ross returned to the bathroom. He still found her there, relaxing in the bathtub listening to the soft chilling music that came out of the piped music. He smiled and silently took his sneakers, socks and trousers off. He tiptoed until reaching the bathtub and got into the water. Rachel sat up startled by the sudden movements of the water.

"Shit! You scared the crap out of me!" she said with wide eyes, touching her chest where her heart was beating wildly. She arched an eyebrow when she noticed he was getting in with his clothes on.

"What the hell are you doing? You're all dressed!"

"I know…" he sat in front of her and smiled.

"Is this supposed to be hot? Because it's not…I'd rather have you with no clothes on" she said with a naughty smile.

"Well, why don't you just come over and take them off yourself?" he teased her; Rachel bit her lip.

"Aw…I get it now, that was your purpose from the beginning, wasn't it?" she asked as she slowly moved closer to him and sat on his lap.

"Maybe…" Rachel chuckled and wrapped her arms around his neck. Her lips brushed his very softly. The kiss slowly began to turn into a deep, hot, passionate one that left both of them breathless.

"I missed you…" she whispered into his mouth.

"I missed you too, terribly…" he said in her same tone. His lips traveled to her neck while his hands smoothly stroked her bare back.

"The day is sooo long and boring without you here..." she murmured as she tilted her head to one side to let him know she wanted more; at the same time her fingers started unbuttoning his soaked shirt.

"It feels the same to me…" he lifted her head to look into her eyes and pulled her a little closer. "But I promise once I'm done with this project I'll be all yours, night and day…"

"Mmmh I love the sound of that…" she smiled as she brushed her nose against his and unbuttoned the last bottoms of his shirt. She then took it off and threw it outside the bathtub, not caring about the amount of water that was spilled in the process.

"And will you take me on a 'sexy' vacation?" she said as her hands explored his now naked torso.

"Yeah! Whatever my woman wants." he whispered as his hands slid from her shoulders to her chest, caressing her silky skin. "you look so beautiful…" he confessed hypnotized by her shiny blue eyes. Rachel smiled shyly and leaned in to kiss him as a thank you for his compliment. Her arms found their way around his neck; leaving no possible room between their bodies. "Happy anniversary," she murmured in a husky tone before sinking in another kiss. She unconsciously began to rock her hips against his body, making him moan throaty. The friction mixed with the slow kiss was driving him crazy. He tried to keep himself cool; he had something important planned and if they got carried away there would be no way he would carry out those plans. Not able to take it anymore he firmly gripped her hips as he let out a gasp.

"What are you doing?"

"Can't you figure?" Rachel replied, arching an eyebrow.

"I do know what you are doing, but you seem to have forgotten that we have a table booked for 7pm and you aren't even dressed yet." Rachel groaned in annoyance.

"Since when is that a problem for you?"

"Uh…since…it's our anniversary."

"Exactly, and the house is completely empty," she said in a sensual voice as she kissed his lips again. Weakened by her charms he got lost in her sweet kiss again, but soon enough, despite her grunts, he stopped her yet again. "Ross!" she whined, arms crossed.

"Don't look at me like that! I want to…too, but I've something planned and it cannot be put off" Rachel's face softened.

"You've something planned, apart from the dinner? What is it?" she inquired full of curiosity.

"Uh…you'll have to wait."

"Oh come on! Tell me!"

"Stop whining and go get dressed, now! It's my turn to enjoy the bath." he said, grabbing her arms and lifting her a little so that she had to get out of the bathtub.

"Uh…that's how you treat your girlfriend? I think someone won't be getting any tonight" she said sticking out her tongue as she wrapped her body in a towel and left the room faking rage. Ross chuckled amused.

She walked into her dressing room and after applying moisturizer on her skin she picked up the dress she would wear for their special date; a short, black, strapless dress that fit her body perfectly. With matching black shoes and her long blonde hair loose on her shoulders she was ready to go.

When she entered her bedroom again to pick up some jewelry items she stopped in her tracks. On the bed there was something that she hadn't noticed there before: a photo album. She looked around confused and then slowly walked toward the foreign object full of curiosity. She sat on the bed and took the thick, light blue book between her hands. A smile appeared on her face instantly as she understood what it was. She smiled wider when she saw the cover, where, mixed with the light blue color of the book there was a picture of her and under it, written in black letters, the words "My World".

….

The fic is almost finished so I'll post the rest of the chapters within this week.


	2. Chapter 2

She opened the thick cover and had a look at it. It was indeed a photo album; she went back to the first pages, which were filled with pictures of her childhood. She looked at each single picture astonished… she didn't even remember seeing some of them ever before; she was getting a little misty with those pictures but there was one that caught her attention, it was a picture of her with Monica and Ross when they were around five and Ross was seven. She was holding hands with Monica and Ross was standing behind them with his arms around both of them, a big smile plastered on their faces. It was such a sweet photo she couldn't help shedding a few tears.

The next few pages were about her teens; she brought a hand to her mouth and shook her head feeling embarrassed, not only by her bigger nose but also the clothes and hair style she used to wear during that era, "awful" she thought to herself.

Her smile grew as she reached the next section of pictures: her friends and the time she spent in that apartment. The best era of her life; she was never unhappy in their company. She considered them her family after all. She sometimes missed those moments when the six of them were together in one room, just talking and laughing. Now, those moments were very few, which made her a bit sad.

She passed the first page, where she found pictures of the six together, from the very first day together when she ran away from her wedding, to the last day in that special apartment, where they appear hugging each other with the deepest sadness showing in their faces.

The next pictures were of the two of them, from their days as friends, to the time they dated. There were little notes he had handwritten next to each one. Her eyes stopped at a particular picture of them taken some time during her first months there. Someone had taken it without them noticing, Rachel was staring at him as if she was reproaching him something while he avoided her gaze, looking embarrassed or uncomfortable…she read the note next to that picture.

"_**Do you remember that day? Well...sure you do, you were mad at me the whole day but honey, I didn't mean to open the bathroom door while you were changing…That day I learnt you weren't weak at all. I think I got out of that room with a broken rib!**_

_**Ps: Now I can admit it, I saw everything and I don't regret it :P"**_

She laughed remembering that day. It was in her first year living there, when they weren't as close and felt so embarrassed being around each other, let alone half naked. She remembered blushing like a tomato when she found him looking at her in shock; his face was priceless as he wasn't expecting to see that either. She remembered throwing him a shoe which hit him on his shoulder. She laughed harder; it all seemed like seconds ago.

She laughed and got teary-eyed with all those pictures and the notes that made her relive all those meaningful moments. She smiled at the next picture; many memories of that day came rushing to her mind as she read his note.

"_**And do you remember where this was taken?…okay, stupid question, the cavemen behind us give it away. You took this photo because you thought it'd be funny to keep a souvenir of that embarrassing morning. To this day I have no idea how I managed to keep the job!**_

_**Apart from that awkward moment, it was an unbelievable night, more amazing than I could've ever imagined it to be. It was perfect in every sense and just the beginning of what would be an amazing year."**_

How could she forget that night at the planetarium. She shook her head laughing at her childish behaviour from their previous dates when she would laugh every time he touched her. She felt stupid now, but at that time it was such a huge change she couldn't help feeling a little embarrassed, they had known each other since they were children, and became good friends before anything happened. However, that night she realized they were meant to be together, she had never felt so connected to someone ever before. She knew she had found her soul mate.

There were also many photos of them with Emma, her heart melted watching those and how he described each moment in those little notes. She laughed at how scared she was when she found out about her pregnancy, but then, when she hold her in her arms, she understood she was meant to be a mother.

Her eyes fixed on another meaningful photograph; it was taken at her farewell party exactly two years ago. It was a photo full of sad smiles.

"_**I have to admit that was one of the hardest days of my life. I felt you were slipping away from me and I could not do anything to prevent it. Telling you that I love you was my last chance to keep you here. But when you dropped my hand and went through that gate, without turning back, I felt my whole life collapsing over me.**_

_**Thank god you got off that plane, because if you hadn't, I'm pretty sure my sanity would've left with you. I can only say thank you and a million times thank you. **_

_**I love you."**_

A tear rolled down her cheek as she thought of that day; no doubt it had been one of the hardest days of her life too. She remembered that night vividly. She was so overwhelmed, she had said goodbye to each of her friends and that had felt as though her heart had been torn up little by little. After that, she just couldn't go through saying goodbye to the one person that had given meaning to her existence, so she didn't.

He yelled at her, she yelled at him, they made love and then she cried her eyes out until she didn't have any more tears to shed. She was sure that had been the last time she would kiss him and be with him. After all, she was moving across the world.

Then, he suddenly appeared in that airport, saying things she was not prepared to hear, so she freaked out and boarded the plane. Fortunately, she came to her senses before that plane could take her away from him. She got off that plane, and it was the best decision she ever made.

She remembered they didn't leave his apartment for three days after that night, spending most of the time in bed, enjoying each other's company and making up for the lost time. She grinned, those were magical days.

Her eyes observed the next set of pictures, a portrayal of their new beginning. She observed carefully each picture; she could see their happiness sparkling through their eyes. She smiled widely remembering all the wonderful moments.

Among those moments was their trip to the Caribbean a couple of week later. Her eyes shined gazing at a picture of the three of them; they were sitting on the sand at a gorgeous beach, Ross had Emma on his lap and they were pointing at the sand castle they had just built. It was their first trip as a family, and the photos showed their extreme happiness.

Next to that photo, there was one of the two of them which she couldn't place in time. Ross was hugging her from behind and although they seemed to have been crying there was a huge smile on their faces.

"_**Remember this? It is kind of blurry because I took it with my phone the day we found out we would no longer be three at home. As always, with us everything came unplanned. I was happy, nonetheless, because this time I would be able to be by your side, every step of the way."**_

Oh that day…she perfectly remembered it now. It was a night, six months after she decided to stay in New York.

:::::::::::::::::::

_She was in her living room, staring at the TV but not really watching anything. She had other things in mind as how to tell Ross about her possible pregnancy. Considering how badly he took the news about Emma, she couldn't help feeling a little anxious. She was concerned he may not take the news well. They hadn't talked about having more children yet and she was worried this could strain their relationship._

_Her mind flew to that weekend six weeks before. Their busy schedules and the fact that Emma had started walking and speaking had reduced their intimate encounters to a minimum so when Monica offered to take care of Emma for the weekend they were so eager about spending time together that they simply forgot a few details._

"_Hi honey," he cheerfully said, closing the door to his apartment and making his way toward the couch where she was sitting. _

"_Hey…hi," she answered, giving him a small peck. "How are you?"_

"_Good now that I'm home. What about you?"he asked, kissing her cheek gently._

"_Fine," she said through a forced smile._

"_So Emma's at my mom's for the night…" he murmured, softly kissing her neck and travelling up to her mouth. When she didn't kiss back, he moved away and frowned. She seemed abstracted, as if her mind was miles away from there. "Rach, what's wrong?" she met his eyes, biting the inner flesh of her bottom lip. _

"_Honey, do remember a month and a half ago when Emma spent the weekend with your sister and we were so excited because it had been a few weeks since…" _

"_Oh yeah, I do." He said with a grin. _

"_and…do you remember using protection?" her question changed the expression on his face instantly. It was a silly question because she already knew the answer. They had got so carried away the first time after so many weeks without enjoying each other's company that they simply forgot that small detail. Back then she didn't give it much importance, it only happened once, what were the odds? Apparently many._

"_I think I did….Rach, what are you trying to say…?" _

"_I think I may be pregnant." His body froze, eyes widened like the time she told him about Emma._

"_What?" He mumbled, he was not prepared for that. "How long…"_

"_Two weeks"_

"_Two weeks." he repeated. "But have you taken a test yet?"_

"_I took one last week, it came negative but-"_

"_Oh, then maybe it's just a false alarm."_

"_Maybe so…" she decided not to mention the nausea, perhaps they were caused by her own anxiety about the whole matter. "I bought another one though." She said, picking up the box from the table. _

"_Alright…so…let's see…"_

_Two minutes. She was sitting on the toilet staring at the stick she was holding in her hands. She put it on the shelf next to her, unable to control the shaking of her hands and legs. Ross was standing opposite to her, leaning on the sink. She could feel his eyes upon her._

"_Are you okay?"he broke the intense silence. "You seem worried…"_

"_I am."_

"_About what?"_

"_About the result."_

"_Why? don't you want another child?" she shrugged._

"_I wouldn't mind, I'm worried that you may not take it well." _

"_Come over here." He demanded, grabbing her hand and bringing her to him. He encircled her waist with his arms and kissed her cheek._

"_What made you think such a thing?"_

"_Well…the last time I gave you similar news you almost sue the condom company." He chuckled._

"_That's true, but it came as a shock to me, you know, we weren't together, it was a one time thing and we used a condom…who wouldn't be shocked? but I'm so happy it happened, I can't imagine not having Emma in my life." She smiled broadly, all her fears disappeared instantly. _

"_So you wouldn't be upset if I were pregnant."_

"_Of course not! You know I love children. Maybe I freaked out a little before but I was not expecting to receive such news when I crossed that door today." He chuckled._

"_But don't you think it's a little soon?"_

"_Well…I have to admit I wouldn't mind a few more months just for us. But if this is what fate has in store for us then I'll be the happiest man on this planet." she smiled._

"_I don't know why I was so scared to tell you. You are so amazing" She whispered, gazing into his eyes and gently kissing his lips. _

"_It's time. Shall we look at the same time?" he suggested._

"_Okay, so it's one line negative, two lines positive." _

"_Alright. Three, two, one…" they looked down at the stick. She brought her hand to her mouth as her eyes began to well up. His eyes got misty too. Two lines. They were going to be parents again. "congratulations, mom." He whispered, hugging her tightly and kissing the top of her head. _

"_This is actually happening, we're gonna have another baby," just saying those words filled her with joy._

"_I can't wait." He murmured, pulling her up for a deep, hungry kiss, but he suddenly parted. "By the way, next time we have a child, though…I would like to plan it ahead of time." Rachel laughed loudly before kissing him deeply again. It was time to celebrate._


	3. Chapter 3

I finished it before I thought I would, so here it's the end. Please review :) I really appreciate it.

After they found out about the new pregnancy, they decided to move to a bigger house a couple of blocks away from Monica's.

The next picture put an even bigger smile on her face.

"_**Look at you all fatty! Haha I know you hated it when I called you that, but you look just gorgeous with that big belly **_

_**I love every single picture of this photoshoot we did, and I could've filled this album just with them, but I chose this one because you're glowing. And I also remember that our little girl kicked right when I put my hands on your belly, it was unbelievable.**_

_**I told you before and I'll tell you the rest of my life…thank you for giving birth to our beautiful daughters, I love you even more for that, if that's possible!"**_

She got teary-eyed reading the last paragraph. It amazed her how grateful and loving he was always with her; she was more convinced every day that she couldn't have chosen a better father for her girls, although she didn't actually choose him, it was fate which did it for her.

In spite of the hard time she went through during the pregnancy because of all the morning sickness, feet and back ache, the way he treated her made her feel like in heaven and she enjoyed each day of it. He spoilt her with numerous presents, incredible massages and by getting all her cravings whatever they were and not matter how late it was.

The next pages showed dozens of pictures of their second daughter, Arienne, from the day she was born to the last pictures taken some weeks earlier in their annual trip to the beach. She couldn't keep tears from rolling down her cheeks; however, those were tears of pure happiness.

Growing up she never saw babies in her future; in fact, she had some sort of aversion to children. But then, destiny put Emma in her way and she couldn't help falling in love with such loving creature. Never before had she felt something that strong for another human being. During her first pregnancy, she had many dreams about how being a mother would feel like, but nothing could compare to the actual feeling she was experiencing now; the purest love she had ever felt.

And then came Arienne, who just added more happiness and love to her life. She was very proud of her two amazing daughters.

"_**I just see these pictures and my heart melts…They are hypnotizing! My three beautiful angels together, What else can I ask for? It's amazing how they both look just like you; it almost looks like I had nothing to do with it. Oh well, at least Ari got my hair color! **_

_**I can't believe Ari is going to be one soon. It seems like yesterday when our little 6,2 pounds baby girl came to the world surprising us in the middle of a party two weeks earlier than expected! **_

_**That was, together with Emma's birth, the best day of my life, holding her little body for the first time was incredible. That day I realized I got all I had ever wanted: you and our babies, a family together."**_

More tears rolled down her face as she kept gazing at the pictures with her adorable baby daughter. Although she hadn't been planned either, she just couldn't imagine her life being any other way.

When she gave birth to Ari, she decided to take a sabbatical from her job and enjoy more time with her children. She loved those little moments she shared with them, like watching Emma talk to her sister; or holding her baby in her arms until she fell asleep, the cute noises she did while sleeping or seeing her big beautiful eyes and bright smile first thing in the morning. She wouldn't change those moments for anything.

Her eyes sparkled her mind filled with memories of that 15th August, the day she came into the world. She chuckled at the memory of that night; her company had organized a charity event on that day and even though she was already very pregnant they decided to attend. They were peacefully sitting around a table having dinner and talking with Monica, Chandler and some other friends. She remembered feeling especially uncomfortable that day; she thought it was probably because her due date was getting closer but it never crossed her mind the possibility of the baby wanting to come out already, until she felt a sudden movement inside of her belly that scared her, it hadn't felt as her usual kicking…She stroked her stomach and felt it differently, as if the baby had changed her position. A sharp contraction in her low belly made her stretch backwards involuntarily little after, letting her know that something was not right. She panicked and immediately, whispering into Ross' ear, she alerted him about her situation. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it gently to calm her down. Soon enough, he called a taxi and they left the party as unnoticeable as possible, trying not to become the center of attention.

As soon as she got into the car her waters broke, she remembered looking at Ross frightened; she hadn't prepared herself for that yet, but his sweet and comforting words calmed her down a little. As they arrived to the hospital the contractions got more intense by the minute and after two painful hours of waiting the baby was born, just five minutes before midnight. Exhausted, she observed Ross cutting the umbilical cord and looking amazed at that little crying baby being put in his arms. He then looked at her with wet eyes and both smiled lovingly. He got closer to her and as he sweetly kissed her forehead he placed their baby in her arms; she chuckled and cried at the same time as she observed every little detail of their gorgeous baby: her little hands and fingers with her tiny nails, her still closed eyes, her small round nose, her petite mouth slightly open and her messy, thin, light brown hair; she was perfect. She put her closer to her body and pressed her cheek carefully against hers, feeling for the first time her soft baby skin. After some minutes of pure admiration, she looked up at him. They kissed sweetly and both looked back at their little bundle of joy that was now sleeping peacefully in her mother's arms. Since that moment everything was perfect.

After some more pictures of them together with their daughters she found the rest of the pages completely empty, just a last note hung about on one of the white pages…

"_**I hope you liked this little present… As you can see these last pages are unfilled. I could have put a lot more pictures but I left those so we could fill this one and hopefully so many others together…because it took me almost eight years to finally have you and I'm not planning to let you go anytime soon. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. And just so you know….**_

_**We love you.**_

_**Signed: Emma, Ari & Daddy."**_

She stayed gazing at the last picture of of them, her beautiful family, for several minutes; unable to think coherently just yet after the many memories that had clogged her mind at the same time. When she finally closed the photo album, still amazed by it, she was surprised by another little note stuck to the back cover.

"_**Now come to the yard, my knee is hurting!"**_

Air caught in her throat as a butterfly sensation ran all through her body; did those words mean what her intuition was yelling in her head? She read the last note again and that butterfly sensation intensified. When she was finally able to stand up she left the book aside and made her way down toward the yard; every part of her body shaking in nervousness. She finally reached the crystal door that lead to their yard and stepped outside. "oh my gosh" Her hands instantly flew to her mouth when she saw the entire yard illuminated with hundreds of yellow candles, and petals of roses spread all over the place; and there he was; handsomely dressed in his black suit and down on one knee in the middle of that beautiful image, holding a little box in his hand. The many tears that filled her eyes hardly let her perceive his face, but he was smiling proudly.

"What the hell are you doing, Geller?!" she managed to say between tears and chuckles. Ross laughed at how she had called him by his last name.

"What does it look it?" he sweetly said as he kept smiling; he didn't quite expect her to be more nervous than himself, but he found it beyond adorable. "Why don't you come here and I tell you better?" Rachel tilted her head and bit her lip, wanting to pinch herself to check this was actually happening. She slowly walked the few meters that separated them and stopped right in front of him, her face tear stained.

"Honey you don't have to do this…" she murmured as she shook her head from side to side in disbelief. Ross stood up and put his finger over her lips.

"Sshh, let me talk" he whispered. Rachel nodded and pressed her lips tightly while more tears rolled down her face. He placed both hands on her face and brushed her tears off as he began to say "I know we agreed that we didn't need to get married, that we were good as we are…but while I was preparing you that photo album I kept thinking to myself…'wow, I'm the luckiest man on the earth! I have the most loving, gorgeous, sweet woman as my girlfriend; we have two wonderful, beautiful daughters together…' yet, I felt something wasn't right, I just didn't like how "girlfriend" sounded in my ears anymore…because you are more than that, you are everything to me; and I want to be able to call you my wife…so I said to myself…why not? Why don't give the last step to complete our life together?" Rachel pressed her lips tightly, wanting to keep the forming tears from falling but his moving words made it impossible and she started sobbing "so…" he said as he got on one knee again and took her trembling hand between his own. Rachel covered her mouth with her free hand and shook her head, not able to believe what her eyes were witnessing. "Will you marry me and be my loving wife for the rest of our lives?" a smiley Ross said as he opened the little box and revealed a beautiful engagement ring. Rachel smiled as a chuckle interrupted her uncontrollable sobbing. She wanted to talk, say something, but she was overwhelmed with many emotions.

"Are you being serious?" she managed to pronounce, looking down at the shiny engagement ring.

"No, actually this was all a joke for MTV! There are cameras right there, and there, and there" he said mockingly pointing at random spots.

"Jerk" Rachel said laughing as she playfully slapped his shoulder, making him smile.

"Of course I'm serious honey, dead serious," he said in his sweetest tone.

"But you said you had given up on marriage…" she said helplessly.

"No if it's with you, you were always the one." his words melted her heart; it wasn't that she was having doubts why she didn't say yes right away, but the fact that he was actually asking her in marriage; she remembered how after his divorce to Emily he stated he didn't want to know anything about marriage. It was something that he never saw happening in his life again, and yet there he was, asking her to be his wife and looking as convinced as ever before. "So…are you going to give an answer today? Because I wasn't kidding when I said in that note that my knee was hurting" Rachel laughed and knelt down before him.

"Yes" she whispered, looking deeply into his eyes with all her love she had for him.

"Can you repeat that?" he said, amazed by the sound of that simple monosyllable.

"Yes, I will marry you, I want to be your wife for the rest of my life, yes" she repeated loud and clear, glowing of pure happiness. The biggest smile formed in Ross' lips, who couldn't resist the impulse and kissed her passionately, leaving her breathless.

"I love you" he said as he finally slid the ring along the finger of an overjoyed Rachel.

"I love you too" she whispered back as she grabbed his face and sank in another ardent lip lock. "How did you even prepare this!" she exclaimed looking amazed at their surroundings as they stood up. His arms encircled her waist from behind and he rested his chin on her shoulder.

"Monica helped me" Rachel arched an eyebrow and looked at him with widened eyes.

"She did? when? I was here the whole day."

"She arrived with me, but went straight to the yard."

"wow, you had it all well planned, didn't you?" she said turning her body to wrap her arms around his neck.

"Not really, everything was improvised" he joked as he leaned in to kiss her sweet lips.

"Thank you for the book honey, it was very beautiful and moving trip down memory lane, it made me relive all the wonderful moments we've lived together" she said right from the bottom of her heart. "and thank you for making my life meaningful."

"Right back at you" he replied, his eyes showing the profound love he had for her "I still cannot believe we are getting married soon" his eyes sparkled while saying those words.

"Me neither" she said smiling "although...I have one condition..." she added, Rachel arched his eyebrow.

""What is it?"

"That you make me a baby boy that looks just like you." Rachel said in a sweet voice, holding him tight.

"Now?!" she chuckled at his dumbfounded expression.

"Not now, some time in the future, but you know, we gotta plan it." He smiled knowingly.

"Deal," Ross murmured, pulling her into him as they melted in another passionate, memorable kiss. One of the many they would share in their long life together.

THE END.

…


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